Heirs of Voyager
by Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay
Summary: It was a quiet night on DS12 until four mysterious ships show up . . . . An AU of ST VOY. C/7, T/B, H/OC, J/OC
1. Homecoming

This is an alternate version of the events of Voyager.

xxxxxx

Four ships navigate through the vastness of space.

On the bridge of the biggest ship a station beeps.

The Helmsman checks it out and then stands and walks to the captain and whispers into his ear.

The captain is silent for a few seconds. "How long will it take us to arrive?" "Two and a half days at present speed." The captain nods and the Helmsman returns to his station..

The captain takes a deep breath and then makes an announcement to all of the ships.

The ships alter course.

Meanwhile on a space station an alarm beeps: they have been scanned by an unknown source.

xxxxx

It is 0315, in the depths of Deep Space Twelve's night shift. The command deck is populated only by junior officers, most of them there on punishment duty, and one Orion waitress who was kind enough to provide drinks and a deck of cards when she came to visit.

Lieutenant Avery, the ranking officer, is nervous and jumpy. He is convinced that something is bound to go wrong on his watch. This is not an unusual state for him to be in, but it is compounded by two facts: one, all of the ensigns under his command this shift are in various stages of intoxication and two, nothing has happened since he came here and his personal statistics dictate that something catastrophic must happen to him in the first six months at any post and it hasn't happened yet...

"Relax Avery, this is a dead end post. The only things that happen out here are clogged senors and Red Alert drills." Ensign Rowe grumbles.

"Yeah, the only reason that retired admiral is here is to inspire us to do better and get off DS12." Ensign Jacobs adds. "Red Alert drills are completely pointless."

Rowe nods in agreement. "Nothing has ever happened in this backwater and nothing ever will. This is the end of the line; the most boring post in Starfleet history." They all go back to their game, ignoring Avery's suggestion that they get back to their posts.

Avery winces. There is a lot of lighthearted flirting and playful name calling, but at the rate they're drinking it's only a matter of time before things get completely out of control.

An alarm suddenly wails.

Lieutenant Avery jumps and turns toward tactical.

Ensign Williams sighs, sets down his cards and makes his way to his station.

"Four ships are heading our way, warp four. They are of unknown origin, some of their components appear to be . . . Borg." he reports, his voice trembling with fear at the end.

Lieutenant Avery watches in growing horror as the ships approach the station, while the others hurriedly pack up their game.

The ships come to a stop in front of the station and everyone jumps at the soft beep at communications as they are hailed.

Ensign Rowe leaps to his station. His face pales. "We have an incoming transmission." he reports. "What do we do? I should call my mom." His companions give him odd looks. "Think about it. We're about to be assimilated by the Borg. The last time I talked to my mom we had a fight. What if those are the last things we ever say to each other?"

"I say we don't answer it." Jacobs says. "I mean all they are going to say is 'we are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.' Sooo, if we don't answer, they can't say it and we're safe."

"First of all, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work and second, if it isn't the Borg than we would be offending someone." Avery answers.

The ensigns get in an argument as to whether that would actually work. Avery tries to call them to order with little success, growing more and more nervous as the minutes tick by. Finally he shouts, "Inform Commander Richardson that we have visitors and _answer the transmission_."

They open communications, but Rowe forgets to turn on visual. Immediately spooky voices intone, "We are the Borg. You will lower your shields and prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile." Rowe nearly faints.

A firm male voice scolds, "I expect that you will not do that when they actually -"

"Pardon me, Captain but it seems they have already responded to our hail." An uncomfortable silence follows.

"If they responded, why haven't they said anything?" another voice whispers

"Maybe they're scared I mean we have the fire power to take them." A female voice said.

"Or maybe they heard a couple of idiots pretending to be Borg," the firm male voice suggests scathingly.

Lieutenant Avery clears his throat. "I'm umm...I'm Lieutenant Av-Avery...of Deep Space...Deep Space Twel-" Avery stutters in his nervousness.

"Just spit it out already," a frustrated male voice snaps.

Jacobs completely drowns out a female voice snapping, "You are out of order, Lieutenant Paris," with his objection to his companion being insulted, which, due to his inebriation comes out in the form of the rather crude insult.

Another female voice, responds coldly that if that was the case than surely his own mother was a Kazon harlot.

Ensign Williams responds that her father was a Denebian Slime Devil.

The captain of the unknown ship orders him to take it back immediately, which just spurs them on to greater heights. Avery makes a few vain attempts to rein his officers in before he puts his head in his hands and waits for the fleet to open fire on the station.

Meanwhile, Admiral Owen Paris is having trouble sleeping. He retired to the Ba'Ku homeworld some years previous, but was asked to take this brief assignment and accepted. He only just arrived yesterday and has not gotten used to station time. He wanders the empty hall pondering the problems he noticed that day and considers how best to approach Commander Richardson. As he passes the command deck, he hears raised voices. He turns aside with a frown to investigate.

He enters the bridge entirely unnoticed. One glance takes in the junior officers exchanging insults with an unknown crew on audio channels only, their commanding officer slumped in his chair moaning, and the waitress from the cantina watching it all with avid interest. He also notes a half-concealed bottle of alcohol and a stray card. His frown deepens into a look of disapproval bordering on disgust.

He opens his mouth to demand what's going on only to hear a voice snap: "Owen Paris I know what you are about to say and if you do I'll have the doctor surgically shut your mouth for you!"

"I beg your pardon." Admiral Paris snaps.

The heads of the bridge crew turn in the direction of the voice and several of them pale. Lieutenant Avery tries to stand to attention and collapses into the command seat.

Admiral Paris takes charge. "Lieutenant, put you head on your knees and pull yourself together. One of you idiots get the Lieutenant a drink." Williams jumps immediately to do so. "As for the rest of you: would one of you explain what, exactly is going on here? Insulting the crews of other ships is not part of our regulations, so you had better have a good explanation for doing so."

The ensigns declare in unison, "They started it." Admiral Paris raises an eyebrow expressively. They look away.

"I will be speaking to you about this later. For now, you, Ensign Jacobs go wake Commander Richardson and get him up here. And Ensign Rowe, why is there no visual?"

"Fixing that now, sir." Suddenly everyone is very busy about their tasks. Admiral Paris catches the waitress by the arm as she tries to slip out unnoticed. "I expect I will never see you in this room again without permission." She nods. "Then take the bottles and the cards when you go. And don't miss the one by Lieutenant Avery's foot." She scurries to comply and disappears just as Rowe gets visual up. He turns to look, satisfied that he will be able to get to the bottom of the situation without interference from Commander Richardson.

He is positive that the red-skinned male, with white and black markings on his face standing in front of what appeared to be the captain's seat is of an alien race not yet encountered by the Federation, nor the green-skinned woman near the back. However, others seem to be familiar. One seems to be a Vulcan, while the man at the helm appears to have Klingon blood, and one seems to be pure human. He does not recognize the uniforms, though they clearly denote rank and vocation. Another oddity, it appears that one of the women is holding a baby. He disapproves on general principal.

"Now, then. Let's get this mess straightened out. You are approaching Deep Space Twelve. I don't know who started this fiasco or for what reason. If it was our people, I apologize for their unconscionable behavior. However, your convoy does constitute a possible threat to this station, so I need you to state who you are and your purpose in entering Federation Space."

The one he assumes to be the captain takes a step forward. "I fear we must apologize as well. We were treated rudely by your people, but it shames us that we became involved in such a childish debacle." The man gives a half bow. "I am Luke Sora Miko, captain of this ship." He gestures to the woman at his right. "My first officer is Erin Hansen," He continues, gesturing to each in turn. "Rowan Kim is at Operations, at Tactical we have T'Lali, our Chief Medical Officer is Shannon Akiko Miko." He scowls at the helmsman, but does not introduce him. "And we are finally home."

"Home?"

"We have lived our whole lives on this ship. Our parents were the original crew of the USS Voyager."

Admiral Paris chokes. "Could you repeat that?"

"This is the USS Voyager NCC-74656."

After an uncomfortable silence, Admiral Paris sighs. "U.S.S. Voyager was lost in the Badlands nearly forty years ago."

"Lost doesn't mean destroyed." The Klingon human hybrid objects.

"Owen Paris this is your final warning." The captain hisses in an undertone.

Admiral Paris looks confused. "No he has a point, ships have disappeared only to turn up again and...did you just call him Owen Paris?"

Captain Miko blinks in confusion. "Yes I did. Owen Paris is his name. What else would I call him?"

Admiral Paris just barely hears the red-skinned woman whisper, "Well you often call him idiot."

Admiral Paris ignores the side comment, turning his attention to the helmsman. "What was you father's name Mr. Paris?"

"Thomas Eugene Paris, sir." Owen Paris responds promptly.

"Do you have any proof of that claim?" Admiral Paris asks intently.

"Aren't you a little young to be an admiral?" Owen Paris responds.

"What?" Admiral Paris asks, shocked.

"Owen!" Captain Miko growls.

"It's a fair question." Commander Hansen disagrees. "He doesn't look much older than us and unless things have changed a great deal, I doubt that StarFleet promotes people our age to admiral."

"See!" Owen says triumphantly.

"You know Owen, my sister always comes prepared." Captain Miko says slowly. "And I'm sure that she'd be more than happy to stitch your mouth shut."

Owen gulps and glances between the captain and the doctor.

"All of you are acting like children! Cut it out!" Admiral Paris snaps.

Rowan Kim raises her hand timidly.

Admiral Paris sighs. "Yes." he asks.

"It occurred to me. We told you all of our names, but you haven't told us yours yet and StarFleet protocol states - "

"I am Admiral Owen Paris." he replies.

"Thanks, Dad." Owen mutters.

"The same Admiral Paris that sent Voyager after the Maquis ship?" the Vulcan asks curiously.

"Star Fleet sent them, I was only the messenger."

At this point, Commander Richardson finally arrives and demands to know what is going on and why it can't wait until morning. Admiral Paris explains the situation to him, then adds, "I have to contact Star Fleet about this. We will need to verify their identities and for that we will need specialists and special permissions to allow them access to the station."

StarFleet High Command sends back the reply that they will send what is needed and that Admiral Paris is in charge, but they expect frequent reports. It takes a week for the specialists and a few heavily armed starships to arrive. In the interim, the Voyager crew sends over all of their medical files, ship's logs, and other records to help confirm their identities.

The crew members assigned to examine the logs discover links to holodeck programs in many of the entries. They immediately inform the admiral, who has them set up the holodeck to play them. The first one they watch leaves the Admiral impressed and he begins watching from the beginning. The crew members looking through the logs decide to take the more interesting approach and simply play the ones that seem the most interesting as soon as their shifts are done.

Xxxxx

What do you think?


	2. The Announcement

This is a more of an explanation why Voyager never got in contact with StarFleet.

This takes place in Season Four, episode 14; Message in a Bottle.

We will leave it up to your imaginations how things turned out in the Alpha Quadrant.

xxxxx

Voyager had been waiting at the alien relay network for nearly a week. Waiting for a ship to pass by so that they could attempt to contact it.

But after six days they were starting to lose hope.

On the Bridge Janeway sighed.

"We can't keep waiting here hoping that a friendly ship will come into range," she announced. "Sending a message to StarFleet is important, but it could be weeks, months, perhaps even years before a ship comes through and even then, we have no guarantee that it will be a Federation ship."

Chakotay nodded. As much as it pained him they needed to move on before they ran low on both supplies and fuel.

"Lieutenant resume our course for home." Janeway ordered.

xxxx

Later that day Janeway got ready for the most important announcement she would make as captain of Voyager.

"Voyager; the name of this ship has become more fitting than any of us expected. It has been nearly four years since Voyager and the Val Jean were deposited in the Delta Quadrant, four years since the crews combined. In that time, we have overcome many obstacles. We have survived the machinations of the Kazon, the organ harvesting Vidiians, the Q, and run-ins with the Borg.

"We have truly become a unified crew, able to face the worst this quadrant can throw at us. We all hoped that this relay would be our chance to contact those we have left behind. But, though it pains me to admit it, we can wait no longer. We cannot pin our hopes on what appears to be a dead end. The Alpha Quadrant is a large place and we have had the misfortune to arrive at the wrong time in what is clearly an isolated area of space.

"It is true that we could stay and wait. Someone is bound to come eventually. But we must consider our priorities. Our main priority is to get home. I cannot allow this ship to sit here for months, perhaps even years waiting for a ship that may not even be friendly. No, it is time to move on. There may be other chances to contact home later, but the important thing is to get there.

"We all miss friends and family left behind and we grieve, knowing that by now we have be missing so long that they probably believe we are dead, so we grieve for their grief. We have sorrow for the relationships and the chances lost. That is only right and fitting.

"However, this should not stop us from moving forward. A crew that has come through so much is too strong to allow that. It is time to stop looking back at what we have lost and begin looking forward. We have a mission to complete. We are united by our goals. We have become a family." Janeway paused.

"Which brings me to another important point. By the time we reach home we will be very old. Add to that the dangers of traveling so far when we know so little of what we are up against. Already we have lost many crew members. And while we have gained a few, Neelix, Seven of Nine, and young Naomi, we will eventually need more to bridge the gaps. We cannot count on replenishing our ranks from outsiders. Few of those we encounter will be willing to leave their own homes and loved ones forever just to travel with us. That leaves one option: we must increase our family from within.

"Socialize, date, get to know each other. We need children. They are our legacy. They will bring hope and joy into our lives. They will be the ones to bring us home."

xxx

Three days later Tom and B'Elanna along with several other crew members marry.

xxx

A year later the couples are each blessed with a child, Owen Paris, Marion Ferguson and Robert Williams


	3. The Equinox

Sorry that this took so long. We've had hits and misses and a death in the family. So in a nutshell we've had Darth Real Life or Q-Life happen to us.

But without further ado here's the third chapter! *drum roll* *Fanfare*

The Equinox

xxxxxx

"Did I perform in a suitable manner today in the mess hall?" Seven of Nine asked as she worked at her console in Astrometrics.

"You're getting better, Seven. You almost got that one right. However, it is not appropriate to speak about those matters in the mess hall," Chakotay instructed.

"But everyone knows Ensign Harrow is having difficulties with this pregnancy."

"It was not the topic, so much as the detail you put into it. There are some things it is just not polite to speak about while eating. Also, Ensign Harrow might be embarrassed for everyone on the ship to know the details of her digestive problems."

"I believe I understand. Ensign Kim looked somewhat unwell as I was speaking. Are there any other topics I should avoid?"

"I have found that a good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that you would speak to a doctor about. Dinner conversations should be about neutral topics that the rest of your table mates can relate to. For instance, it would be acceptable to talk with Tom and B'Elanna about ship design, but not if you were sitting with the Doctor or Mortimer Harren. The conversation should include everyone."

They both turned as a throat was cleared in the doorway. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Chakotay shook his head. "No, Captain; we were just about finished."

"Good, because we just received a distress call from what appears to be a Federation ship and I was hoping Seven might be able to clean it up for us."

"Of course, Captain." Seven immediately turned to the console and got to work.

"Would you like me to stay down here, Captain?" Chakotay asked.

"No. I'll stay. I admit I'm curious as to who this might be."

Chakotay smiled. "I understand, Captain. I'll be on the bridge. And Seven, we'll try again at 1700 hours."

"Understood," Seven answered without looking up. The door closed behind Chakotay.

"I think I have it, Captain."

Janeway's expression was a mixture of hope and confusion as she listened to the recording. "The Equinox was a planetary research vessel; how did it get all the way out here?" she asked.

"That is a good question." Seven commented.

Janeway leaned against the console. "I always wanted to meet Captain Ransom but the opportunity never presented itself." she told Seven. "How far away are they?"

"3.2 light years." Seven responded.

"Janeway to Bridge, make a course adjustment. Seven is sending you the coordinates now." Janeway said.

"Understood." Chakotay replied. "Mister Paris is laying in a course."

"I'm on my way. Janeway out." Janeway turned to Seven. "Walk with me," she invited. Seven of Nine fell into step with the Captain as they left Astrometrics. "How are your lessons with Commander Chakotay going?"

"They are going well." Seven responded. "Yesterday we discussed socialization, which I proceeded to practice in the Mess Hall. Commander Chakotay says I did well, but I confess that I find the rules arbitrary, illogical, and confusing."

Janeway smiled. "To be honest, most of us feel that way. The difference is that most of us learned them gradually over the course of many years. You have come far since you joined the crew. You have exceeded all of my expectations. I have no doubt that you will figure this out." By this point they had reached the turbolift.

"Thank you, Captain," Seven responded. "I find that your approval is gratifying. I hope this ship is everything you hope."

As she rode the turbolift to the bridge, Janeway reflected that Seven was already starting to figure out polite conversation and made a mental note to complement Chakotay later.

On the Bridge Janeway took her seat and waited for Voyager to arrive at the Equinox's position. Everyone's mouths opened slightly in surprise at the sight of the Equinox's shimmering shields.

"Are they under some sort of attack?" Chakotay asked, turning to Tuvok.

"Unknown." Tuvok answered.

"We are within hailing distance." Harry Kim reported.

"Open a channel." Janeway ordered.

"Equinox this is the Federation star ship Voyager are you under a-"

"Merge your shields with ours at our frequency!" A man's voice said, cutting her off. "Please, we don't have much time left!"

Janeway quickly weighted the risks in her mind. They didn't know what the shimmering was, but clearly the crew of the Equinox knew something she did not. "Do it." She ordered.

As they merged their shields with those of the Equinox a whiny hum filled the bridge. "Do you hear that?" Harry asked.

"Interspatial fissures are opening on decks one, five and fifteen." Seven reported urgently.

Suddenly the strange noise stopped. Everyone on the Bridge looked at each other.

"The fissures have closed." Seven reported.

Everyone sighed with relief but they were still confused. "What was that?" Harry asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"Maybe it was whatever has been attacking them." Tom suggested.

More silence.

"Chakotay, take an away team over and assist the survivors." Janeway commanded.

"Tuvok, Seven, Harry, Tom you're with me." Chakotay said as he stood. Everyone stood or followed Chakotay into the lift.

"I wonder how they got out here." Harry said as they approached Transporter Room One.

"Maybe the Caretaker brought them here." Chakotay suggested.

"Then why haven't we heard about them?" Tom asked.

"Maybe they took a different route." Seven said as they entered the Transporter Room.

"Possible." Chakotay said as they stood on the Transporter Pad.

"Energize," he said to Ensign Nathaniel Harrow.

Soon they appeared on the Equinox.

"Split up and search for survivors." Chakotay said.

He was carefully picking his way through what was left of Engineering when he heard faint cries. He quickly pulled some debris out of the way and soon he found a blond female ensign. She stared at him in confusion. "I'm Commander Chakotay of the Federation Starship Voyager." He said in introduction.

"But we're the only humans in the Delta Quadrant," she whispered.

Chakotay smiled reassuringly. "That's what we used to think." Chakotay reached out and offered her his hand.

"I'm Ensign Marla Gilmore." The woman said as she took the offered hand.

xxxxx

Seven knelt beside another crew member pinned to the deck by debris. "Everything is going to be alright," she said calmly. "Mister Kim will free you."

The crewman nodded. Harry went to work cutting the debris. "Are my legs still there?" the crewman asked, fear in his voice.

Seven looked. "Your legs are still attached. What's your name?"

"Noah Lessing," he whispered.

"Mr. Kim is almost done Noah Lessing." Seven said.

"Got it!" Harry said triumphantly. "Ensign Kim to Voyager, one to beam to Sick Bay."

Seven and Harry watched as Noah was beamed away before returning to the search.

xxxxxx

Chakotay carefully approached the Captain's chair.

"Captain Ransom, I am Commander Chakotay of USS Voyager. We received your distress call." Chakotay informed him. "We were brought here by the Care-"

"Taker," Ransom finished for Chakotay.

"We need to get you back to Voyager," Chakotay said.

Captain Ransom shook his head. "I can't leave," he told Chakotay.

"We need to treat your injuries and the best way to do that is aboard Voyager," Chakotay argued.

Ransom sighed. "Alright."

xxxxx

B'Elanna shifted her tiny son in her arms as she listened to Captain Rudolph Ransom recite some names of the Equinox's crew that were lost in the attack and said some kind things about them. She watched as one of the crew members walked toward her. "Maxwell Burke?" She asked, shifting her son once again.

"BLT," The man, Max, said smiling to cover his surprise.

"I can't believe that it's you!" "B'Elanna said.

Max laughed. "I can't believe it's you. You have changed since I last saw you. And I see that you have a little one. I never pictured you as the mothering type," Max replied.

B'Elanna smiled. "People change. This is Owen Thomas Paris." She said.

"He's almost as cute as his mother." He commented and walked off.

"'BLT?'" Tom asked, turning to B'Elanna.

"Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich." B'Elanna explained. "My old initials."

Tom scowled.

B'Elanna laughed. "You're cute when you are jealous. I'm going to put Owen to bed." She left the Mess Hall still grinning.

Tom watched her leave.

Harry chuckled. "Come on Turkey Platter, we have work to do."

"What ever you say . . . Ham Kaiser." Tom shot back.

xxxxx

Marla sat in the Mess Hall with Chakotay, Seven and Harry. "This is much better than our field rations," she commented.

Harry laughed. "It took some getting used to but now we have a hard time imagining not having Neelix's cooking," Harry agreed.

"Hello!" Marla turned to see who had addressed her and found a half Ktarian girl standing next to her chair.

"Why hello, who are you?" Marla asked.

The girl stood straighter. "I'm Naomi Wildman, Captain's Assistant. I just wanted to welcome you aboard Voyager." Naomi said. "It's my job to make sure every visitor feels welcome."

"That's very kind of you, Miss Wildman. I think everything I need has already been provided."

"Very well; carry on." Marla watched as Naomi walked off.

"She's cute, I have a nephew about her age...or used to. I guess he would be nearly an adult by now."

"Naomi was born on Voyager, so it's the only home she's ever known. She was our first. There are only three other children on Voyager." Chakotay explained.

"But we have several more on the way." Harry added with a smile. "The Jarvins, Edgertons, Jeffersons and the Harrows."

"Is there something wrong?" Marla asked, noting that everyone at the table frowned when he mentioned the Harrows.

Chakotay sighed. "We were never meant to be away this long. The Doctor does his best, but he was never meant to deal with childbirth, especially mixed-species births, nor was Sickbay equipped for it. We nearly lost Naomi and her mother and because Rhianna is half Catyan her pregnancy is even higher-risk."

Marla nodded.

"Here they are," Harry murmured. Marla turned to see a couple enter the Mess Hall. The feline-looking woman was clearly pregnant and the man at her side held her elbow as though afraid she would break if held too roughly. Marla watched as they sat down and the chef set a large plate of something in front of them.

"Rhianna is on a special diet," Seven volunteered. "Her husband Nathaniel has chosen to support her by eating the same diet. I think it is very...sweet."

Chakotay gave her an approving smile.

Marla watched the couple and thought about the cheerful Naomi and felt guilt creeping over her for what they were about to do.

xxxxx

Chakotay walked onto the holodeck. Seven was already waiting. "Did I do well in the Mess Hall?" she asked.

"Much better than last time." Chakotay said. "But you spoke very little."

"I do not know them, nor do I trust them. I was uncertain what to speak about with someone I do not trust."

"That is why conversation was invented. If we were on a planet, we would talk about the weather. It is also generally acceptable to discuss the food and most off-duty activities. You will do fine. I don't think we need to go any farther with conversation lessons at this point. I think the rest will come with time and practice. What would you like to focus on next?"

Seven considered for several seconds.

"I have heard several crew members talk about what they find romantic. I do not understand 'romance'. I understand that reproduction is a genetic imperative in most sapient species, but I do not understand the inefficiency of courtship. If two people find each other compatible, why do they not just do what is necessary and return to their assigned tasks."

"Okay," Chakotay said, "This one may need a little more work." He ordered the holodeck to provide them with chairs and sat down. "Courtship is necessary. It is a way of finding out if you are compatible. The Borg way is to be one but never to really know each other. Most species are different. We are meant to have one person we know better than any other, someone we feel we can trust in any situation. I suppose genetically, we crave this connection because if we are committed to each other, we will be committed to any children we give birth to."

"That is sensible. Young should be raised in a safe environment. But if that is what one is to look for, what purpose would sitting on a bluff overlooking the Utopia Shipyards on Mars serve?." Seven asked.

"Utopia Shipyards?" Chakotay asked, perplexed.

"It seems Tom Paris finds the view romantic." Seven answered.

"He would," Chakotay muttered. "That would be part of getting to know the other person and has everything to do with personal preference. I believe there are a variety of programs designed by various crew members of what they consider to be romantic. Why don't we go through them and see what we can learn. We'll start with Tom's."

Chakotay activated Tom's program and Chakotay and Seven found themselves sitting in an antique vehicle on a bluff looking at the Utopia Shipyards.

"Well, what do you think?" Chakotay asked Seven.

Seven surveyed the scene. "It is interesting but not pleasing to the eye." She said.

Chakotay nodded. "Tom loves machines of all types. We are sitting in an antique car overlooking a shipyard. In addition, it brings to mind the courtship rituals of the late 19th and early 20th century when young folk would go 'parking'. They would drive a car to some remote spot, often a cliff looking down over the city."

"And engage in pre-mating behavior. Yes, I found that in my research." She changed the scene. Mars was replaced with a meadow with waterfalls and sunshine in a blue sky with white wispy clouds. "Both Ensigns Harrow think that this is romantic," Seven said.

"And what do you think?"

Seven was silent. "The sound of the waterfalls is relaxing," she said at last. "And this would also be a good place for pre-mating behavior."

"Let's try something else." Chakotay suggested.

xxxxx

The Doctor carefully picked his way through the Research Lab.

"It has been completely redesigned." He reported to Seven and Tuvok on the other side of the Comm channel. "I doubt that there is anything quite like it."

Something in the room caught his attention.

"There is some sort of container." He reported.

The Doctor moved in front of the container and shone his light inside. He could not disguise his disgust at finding the pitiful remains of a Nucleogenic lifeform inside. "Tell the Captain that I believe that I have found the reason why the lifeforms have been attacking the Equinox."

xxxxx

As Janeway listened to Captain Ransom's story, she tried very hard to hide her disgust.

"I cannot find words to describe my disgust," Janeway stated.

"You would have done the same in my position," Ransom argued.

Janeway glared at him. "No, I wouldn't have."

Ransom gave her a look. "You have obviously given up hope of seeing Earth again, but my crew and I haven't. We are just being practical."

"Practical? You murdered innocent beings who meant you no harm. _We_ did what was practical. We realized that there was a good chance we might not find technology that will speed our journey enough to get us home quickly or allow us to contact home for assistance and we prepared for that fact. We haven't given up, but we can't ignore the fact that we might die before we get home. We trade with those who are willing to befriend us and avoid those who won't, but we have not and will not harm innocents just to get home a few years earlier," she snapped. "You and your crew are confined to quarters until further notice."

xxxxx

The Doctor moved around the MedBay, searching his many programs for a way to decode the information about the Nucleogenic lifeforms.

Finally a thought occurred to him.

"Computer activate EMH."

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," the EMH said as it appeared.

"These files are encoded and I can't figure them out," the Doctor explained.

"Of course not, I encoded them," the EMH said, sounding almost proud.

"You!" the Doctor demanded, shocked.

"Yes, they deleted my ethical subroutine," the EMH explained before hitting the Doctor's Mobile Emitter.

Curious, the EMH examined the emitter, smiling as he realized its purpose. The EMH transferred the Doctor to the Equinox's computer and transferred Itself to the Mobile Emitter before beaming over to Voyager.

"Did you find anything?" B'Elanna asked it.

"Nothing useful." It lied. "It appears that they deleted all of the pertinent files."

B'Elanna growled and stalked off.

The EMH made it's way to Sick Bay. Once inside it queried the computer for information. Discovering that his crew were prisoners, he gathered a few items he would need to help them escape.

xxxxxxx

"Captain, there is phaser fire on deck seven." Harry reported.

Janeway stood. "Ransom," she whispered.

"Several people were just beamed to the Equinox." Harry reported

Janeway started to pace.

"Captain they're trying to take the multiphasic shield."

"Stop them!" she ordered.

"Too late," Harry reported.

"They are breaking away from us." Tuvok reported.

Janeway watched in horror as the Equinox broke away from them and sped away. Then the ominous whiny hum of the Interspatial Fissures opening filled the air. "All hands this is the Captain, be ready to defend yourselves against any attacks."

xxxxx

"We should try to find the Ankari and tell them our side of the story." Chakotay said in the Briefing Room. "They must have a way to communicate with the lifeforms."

Janeway's mouth twisted as though she had just bitten something sour, but she nodded in agreement. "As much as it pains me to let those heartless traitors go free, we can't risk chasing them without help. If we still had the multiphasic shield we were building, I might disagree, but at this point we could very well be killed by the lifeforms before bringing our own people to justice.

"We will use the information we got from the Equinox to find them and do our best to negotiate a peaceful solution. And then we will deal with our own. Are we still tracking them?"

"Yes, Captain," Tuvok responded. "But they disappeared off our sensors as they passed by a planet."

"I've seen this trick before," Chakotay volunteered. "They're using the atmosphere of the planet or a nearby nebula to hide from our sensors."

"That would fit with what I have read about Captain Ransom's service record," Janeway agreed. "When faced with danger, he tends to hide. Judging by the damage to his ship, he will probably be there for some time making repairs before the Equinox is ready to move on. Send an away team with a shuttle to the surface. If any of the Equinox crew beam down to that planet for supplies, I want them captured and questioned. We will get Seven back and make sure they are held responsible for their actions. Dismissed."

xxxxx

It took them nearly two days before they finally stumbled across an Ankari ship. "They are not responding to our hails." Tuvok informed them. "They seem to be preparing to flee."

"Use the Tractor Beam; I know it is against regulations, but it might be our only hope. The only other Federation ship they will have met was the Equinox." Janeway said.

"Tractor beam locked. They are hailing us." Tuvok reported.

"On screen." Janeway said.

"Why have you stopped us?" The Ankari demanded.

"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager." Janeway said.

"You people have done enough damage!" The Ankari snapped.

"It wasn't us, I could never condone the slaughter of any lifeform." Janeway explained.

"The Equinox!" The Ankari spat.

Janeway nodded.

"What do you want?" The Ankair asked.

"I wish to talk to them and tell them that we didn't know what the Equinox had done to them until later." Janeway explained.

The Ankari nodded.

"Very well," he said. "I will help you communicate with them."

"On behave of my crew I thank you." Janeway said.

"Don't thank me just yet." The Ankari said.

xxxxx

Janeway watched as the Nucleogenic lifeform floated in the air, speaking with the Ankari.

"They want the Equinox," an Ankari explained.

Janeway bit the inside of her lip. "I had hoped to deal with them myself, but it was not us they harmed. We will give them the Equinox on one condition: They have a member of my crew held captive. She is innocent of this crime. I ask that she be spared."

"They agree to your terms," the Ankari translated.

Janeway turned to him.

"Thank you."

xxx

Ensign Rhianna Harrow walked toward Sick Bay. She was two minutes late for her weekly prenatal exam. It had taken her sometime to escape Engineering and an infuriated B'Elanna. _Never anger a half Klingon or put her newborn son in danger,_ Rhianna thought as she approached Sick Bay.

"Sorry I am late, Doctor," she said as she walked in.

The Doctor turned to face her, obviously confused. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

Rhianna frowned. "I am here for my weekly prenatal exam," she reminded him.

"Prenatal exam? Oh..." the Doctor said. "Well, up on the bio bed."

Rhianna carefully climbed onto the nearest bio bed and laid down. She watched as the Doctor calmly ran his medical tri-corder over her before smiling. "Everything seems to be fine and I will see you...at the next scheduled exam time."

Rhianna waited for him to ask the usual questions.

Finally, he asked, "Was there something else or can I get back to what I was doing?"

Rhianna shook her head. "I don't know if it's anything to worry about but you did say to tell you. I am experiencing some pain in-"

"I'm sure it's nothing; I understand pregnancy is a painful process, but I can give you a painkiller if you want," the Doctor said abruptly, cutting her off.

Carefully Rhianna sat up, slid off the bio bed. "I think it will go away on it's own. Thank you, Doctor." She exited Sick Bay and immediately headed for Engineering. B'Elanna should be told that there was something wrong with the Doctor. She stopped short in the doorway; B'Elanna 's mood was, if anything, worse than before. She wasn't sure she would get her message out before her head was bitten off.

She turned around and headed for the Bridge instead.

xxx

Janeway glanced at the turbolift to see Ensign Rhianna Harrow standing there. "Ensign Harrow, is there something wrong?" She asked, concerned.

"Maybe." Rhianna said.

Janeway stood and walked to her Ready Room and Rhianna followed her.

"So, what's the problem Ensign? Is it the baby?" Janeway asked. "Do you need to be let off your shift.

"It's not that, exactly," Rhianna said. "It's the Doctor."

"Explain," Janeway requested.

"I was scheduled to have my weekly prenatal exam today and the Doctor seemed to have forgotten it and then he barely examined me. He just scanned me with his tri-corder and told me everything seemed fine and that he would see me next week. None of his usually greeting and he didn't even ask me when was the last time I felt the baby move or if I had been resting. He didn't ask about my diet and when I tried to tell him about the pain I was experiencing, he told me it was nothing to worry about and offered me a painkiller," Rhianna said. "It just felt wrong, as if he didn't even know me."

Janeway nodded.

"I'll have B'Elanna check the Doctor out. Meanwhile you should rest. It has been several exciting days and you should probably put your feet up." Janeway told Ensign Harrow.

Rhianna smiled in relief. "Thank you for you time Captain." She said, stood and left the Ready Room.

Janeway massaged her temples. This rescue mission had turned into a disaster. The last thing she needed was a malfunctioning Doctor. "Captain to B'Elanna."

"B'Elanna here."

"We seem to have a problem with the Doctor's program. I'm afraid it might have been damaged in the chaos earlier. Can you spare someone to run a diagnostic?"

"Now, Captain? They stole vital-"

"I know, Lieutenant, but we can't afford to lose the doctor."

"Understood. Can I borrow Tom?"

Janeway smiled. "Yes, you can borrow Tom. Janeway out."

xxxxx

"The Doctor isn't the Doctor," B'Elanna reported.

Janeway nearly gaped at her. "What?" she asked.

"I'm guessing that it is the Equinox's EMH."

Janeway nodded. "That would explain how the Equinox's crew escaped. I think we can use this to our advantage." She touched her communicator. "All senior officers report to the ready room."

"Captain?"

"I think it's time to turn the tables, don't you? With a little misinformation given to their spy, we should be able to flush them out."

xxxxx

B'Elanna smiled as she deleted the memories of the Equinox EMH and replaced the Ethical Subroutine. "Okay, we can now use him as a backup, but I've given him a script based on his memories that should allow him to trick them into showing themselves," she announced triumphantly.

"Feeling vindictive, love?" Tom asked.

"They deserve it. I don't appreciate being taken advantage of and their little trick could have killed us. Let's see how they like it when the tables are turned."

"You're beautiful when you're taking revenge." Tom said.

xxxxxx

"Captain, someone just beamed over Seven of Nine and five members of the Equinox's crew and transferred the Doctor's program back to Sick Bay." Harry reported.

Janeway turned to Chakotay. "Glad that we decided to lower our shields and 'disable' our own engines." Janeway told him with a vague smile.

Chakotay smiled back. "An ingenious idea." he said.

"The Nucleogenic lifeforms are attacking the Equinox's warp core." Tuvok reported.

Janeway swallowed.

"Someone is hailing us." Tuvok reported.

"On screen." Janeway ordered.

A disheveled Captain Ransom appeared. "Captain Janeway, is everyone I sent you on board?" he asked.

"Yes, they are." She answered.

"I will pilot the Equinox to a safe distance," Ransom said. "We were out here so long, I never noticed just how imbalanced Maxwell Burke had become. I know it is no excuse. We betrayed our own people. I beg you to be merciful to my former crew. I am the one who allowed this to happen."

"There is still time to beam you aboard, Captain Ransom."

"No. I will do something right for once and go down with my ship." With that the transmission ended.

The Bridge Crew watched solemnly as the Equinox moved away.

"Raise shields." Janeway ordered.

The Equinox exploded, disappearing into the dark of space.

xxx

Janeway paced in front of the five surviving crew members of the Equinox. "I am very disappointed in all of you. You have not only broken the Prime Directive, you tried to leave us, your own people, to die."

Janeway paused in her pacing. "All of you are stripped of your ranks and demoted to crewmen. You will have limited privileges. You have broken our trust and you will have to earn it back; it will not be given to you."

Janeway glared at all of them. "Dismissed." She said.

xxxxxx

Seven walked into the Holodeck. "Come here, I want to show you something," Chakotay invited. She walked over to where he stood. "Watch. This is a field not far from where I grew up. The moons only rose together four times each year. I used to lay in the middle of the field to watch them come up." He took her hand and led her over to a blanket."

They watched in silence for a time watching the three moons slowly rise over the open field. "It is pleasing to the eye." Seven commented.

Chakotay nodded. "It is one of my fondest memories. My father took me out the first time, but I always preferred to watch it by myself."

"Then why are you showing it to me?"

"I am sharing it with you because I want to. You have impressed me in so many ways since you first came on board Voyager. You are beautiful, intelligent, hard-working...I have never met anyone like you."

"Are you suggesting that you wish to court me?"

"If that is something you feel comfortable with."

"I accept. It has intriguing possibilities and it would admirably complement my lessons."

"Seven. I'm not courting you just to-"

"I understand, Chakotay." She paused. "I have been doing some research and I have created a setting I find quite pleasing. Would you like to see it?"

"Of course." He replied

'Computer activate holodeck program Seven-Alpha-five-six." Seven said.

Immediately the triple moons disappeared to be replaced with a meadow with a waterfall and a sky full of stars. Bands of light began to cross the sky. "I find this pleasing to the eye." Seven said. "Do you concur?"

Chakotay felt a smile come to his face. "It is beautiful, Seven," he murmured, putting his arm around her shoulder.

xxxxx

A/N

For those of you wondering what problems Rhianna has been experiencing we have decided to leave it to your imaginations.

As for Chakotay's homeworld, since there is nothing official listed about what it looks like we decided to be creative.


	4. The Kieru

xxxxx

_Captain's Log_

_We have received a distress call and are on our way to offer assistance._

Janeway sat in the Captain's chair waiting.

"Captain we are approaching the coordinates." Tom Paris reported.

"On screen." Janeway commanded.

A widening debris field appeared.

"What happened?" Janeway whispered.

"Looks like the Hirogen got them." Harry reported.

Janeway sighed. "Any sign of Hirogens?"

"No, Captain, but there do appear to be some escape pods, no life signs detected."

"Tractor them in to Cargo Bay One and open them." Janeway ordered. "Perhaps we will find someone."

"B'Elanna may be able to find something usable, Captain," Tom suggested

"Agreed," Janeway approved. She put a hand to her comm badge. "B'Elanna, stand by to examine the escape pods in Cargo Bay One."

"Acknowledged."

xxxx

B'Elanna entered Cargo Bay One with a security team and Lieutenant Carey as an assistant. At her order, the first pod was opened. B'Elanna was impressed by the technology, but confused by the fact that it was vacant and the interior showed no signs of damage.

They move on to the next and the next until they have opened them all

Lieutenant Carey shook his head. "It's kind of sad, really. They build pods that withstand the destruction of their ship with little more than scratched paint and none of them even had the chance to use them."

B'Elanna nodded somberly, before instructing him to gather a team to start assessing the components for compatibility.

xxxx

Janeway surveyed the officers seated around the table in the briefing room. "As you all know, food is still disappearing from the mess hall. I know some of you had theorized that we might have picked up some sort of scavenger in one of our last loads of supplies, but it has come to my attention that there has been unauthorized replicator usage as well for several days. Since security footage shows no one near the replicator around that time, I feel that we need to consider that whatever or whoever is stealing food is an intelligent lifeform. Has anyone discovered anything further?"

Shaken heads and "No, Captain"s were all the answer she received.

"In that case, I want everyone to keep their eyes open for anything unusual. Tuvok, see what you can do with that footage. If anyone comes up with anything even remotely possible, I want to know about it. So far they seem to be harmless, but I have no intention of standing by while a possible threat is hiding on my ship. Dismissed."

xxxx

Seven left the briefing room and turned toward sick bay. Chakotay had made her promise to check with the Doctor today if the pain returned and it had in the meeting. The Doctor greeted her pleasantly.

"Good morning, Seven. Is there a problem?"

"I have been experiencing pain in my implants, especially in my left hand. It is infrequent, which is why I have not come before now."

"How long has this been happening?"

"Eleven days. The first occurrence was at 0840 hours at my station as I was repairing my console. I assumed I had made an error and received a shock, but the following occurrences did not fit with this assumption. In the intervening time, I have experienced the sensation eight times and it seems to be growing more frequent."

"Have you been experiencing any other symptoms?"

"I have been somewhat fatigued."

"Have you been under any stress or sleeping less than usual?"

"No, my schedule has been unchanged for several weeks."

"Why don't we take a look. I suspect it is nothing more than a pinched nerve in your shoulder, easily fixed."

Seven climbed onto the table while the Doctor reached for his tricorder. "That's odd."

"Doctor?"

"I am sure I set that tricorder right here after Ensign Essen's check-up earlier."

"Perhaps you left it in your office?" Seven suggested.

The Doctor went to his office muttering under his breath. He came back a few moments later, scowling fiercely. "It was not there, either, and it isn't the only thing missing. It is a good thing I have a spare tricorder. I'll just take a few scans and you can get back to work while I report this to the Captain. We can set up another appointment for tomorrow if there are any problems."

xxxx

"Come on, Icheb. It will be perfectly safe. They're just little animals. Forcefields would trap them easily," Naomi wheedled.

"Then why can't you capture them yourself? My duties are far more important than playing."

"It's not playing. Neelix is really upset about this. The other day they stole his favorite greens right off the sideboard."

"How can you be sure they're little animals?"

"What else could they be? No one has seen them, so they have to be small, plus if they were smarter, they would just ask us for help. Pleeeease, Icheb. You know I don't have the clearance to make forcefields on my own."

Icheb sighed. "Very well. I will help you set them up, but you have to use your own rations."

Naomi gave him a hug and skipped down the corridor to help Neelix with lunch.

xxxx

Janeway was starting to wonder what deity she had annoyed. Not only had they continued to make no headway in the disappearance of food, not only had other supplies begun to go missing, now she had a Hirogen ship looming over Voyager while its captain demanded that she turn over the refugees.

Frankly, she had had enough. She assured the Hirogens through gritted teeth that they had no refugees aboard, nor did they plan to. When questioned about the alien technology their sensors had picked up, she informed them that it was salvage taken from debris they had discovered weeks before. She also added that under the treaty, they should not be hunting any sentient species, so even if they had refugees, they would not have been required to turn them over. She asked them pointedly to respect their treaty with Voyager and leave them alone.

Chakotay looked at her with some concern after the transmission was ended. "Are you alright, Captain? You were rather abrupt."

"I'm just frustrated with this whole situation. I want to know who or what is on my ship and why it feels the need to skulk around stealing our supplies. I would have been more than willing to offer supplies to someone in need, but this is ridiculous."

The bridge crew wisely said nothing as they went about their duties.

xxxx

Naomi Wildman walked dejectedly down the hall. This was her last time checking the traps. So far, none of them had worked at all and Icheb said it was time to take them all down. She would have started checking sooner, but Neelix wouldn't let her out of his sight until the Hirogen ship was long gone. She had saved this trap for last because she had spent the most time on it and left the best foods.

She turned the corner and gasped. Her trap had caught something, but it was much larger than she expected. It turned at the noise and watched her gravely with slitted eyes. She stared at the alien for a moment. "Um...I'm Naomi Wildman. Can you understand me?"

The alien nodded slowly and carefully.

Naomi gulped. "I have to go tell Icheb. I'll be right back."

xxxx

Seven of Nine hurried into sickbay. "I apologize for taking so long to return, Doctor. I have been scanning the ship for days, using every method and diagnostic anyone could remember."

"If it had been serious I would have called. Tell me, has anyone discovered who stole from me?"

"That has yet to be ascertained. Hence my continued absence. I have been able to detect nothing with any of the tests. I am not accustomed to failure. I find it...frustrating."

"Have you experienced further pain?"

"At least once each day."

"Well, I have good news and bad news."

"Proceed."

"The good news is that the scans detected nothing wrong with your implants, nor do you have any pinched nerves."

"And the bad news?"

"I'm afraid I will need to run more tests. I suspect I know what the problem is, but I would like to take a closer look."

Seven climbed onto the table and waited patiently through the scan. The Doctor examined the data and nodded several times. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

xxxx

"Icheb! I caught something! It's an alien."

"Telling lies will not convince me to let you keep the traps up longer, Naomi."

She stamped her foot impatiently. "I'm not lying, Icheb. He's all red with black and white stripes and a tail and when I asked if he understood what I was saying, he nodded his head. You have to come right now or I'm going to get Neelix."

Icheb sighed and set aside his padd. "If we get there and this is all a prank, I won't help you with anything ever again."

Naomi scowled as she half-dragged him from the room.

Icheb took one look at the alien in the trap and tapped his comm badge. "Icheb to the Captain. There is a situation on Deck 6 that requires your immediate attention."

xxxx

Five minutes later, Janeway arrived, fists on hips. She watched the alien for a moment, then took a deep breath. "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. I would appreciate an explanation of who you are and why you are on my ship."

"Please forgive my rude behavior. I am Qi of the Kieru. As a race we are cautious in nature. I was uncertain how my presence would be taken. Originally, I simply planned to hide on your ship until you came to a planet or station."

"Then why show yourself now? The young folk who put up these traps inform me that they have been set for weeks. I find it hard to believe you have avoided them successfully all this time only to be captured now."

"You are perceptive, Captain Kathryn Janeway. I felt that this method would be the least likely to frighten anyone. After your encounter with the Hirogen earlier, I decided you were trustworthy enough to approach and you were correct in your assessment that it is inconsiderate to take supplies without allowing you a chance to offer them first."

Janeway studied him consideringly before giving the order, "Lower the forcefield and stand down."

The security officers did as instructed and Qi stepped forward, took both of Janeway's hands, and bowed over them. "The stars shine upon our meeting."

Janeway found that she couldn't stay annoyed at the polite alien. "Tell me, how did you sneak aboard?"

Qi rose from his bow. "You brought me aboard. My escape pod rests in your cargo area."

Janeway raised an eyebrow. "My crew were quite thorough in their search."

"That is true. I watched them search for some time. But I am better at hiding than they are at searching. That is why the Hirogen hunt my people even now. It was a great relief when we heard that you have no love for the Hirogen and that you found a way to keep them from attacking your people. Perhaps you could tell me how you accomplished this."

"Perhaps," Janeway agreed. "In the meantime, perhaps you would tell me where you were going and how many more of your people might be hiding on this ship." She smiled as his eyes widened. "Yes, it had occurred to me that if you were in one pod that the others might hold passengers as well. We are willing to offer you and whoever else is on this ship safe passage to wherever you were going, so long as it is not too far out of our way."

"You honor us, Captain Kathryn Janeway."

"Any one of those names is fine," she interjected as he bowed again.

"We never expected such kindness from strangers. I can assure you that our people will be most grateful for our return and will reward you with many gifts."

"We would be content to trade for supplies and information about the space we are about to travel."

"I will not hear of it. Kindness must be rewarded properly. To refuse would be to shame the Kieru forever. But perhaps now is not the time to discuss this. You had questions I would be pleased to answer."

"Come to my ready room and we can discuss matters over a cup of coffee. Tuvok, please make sure that Qi's people are given quarters. Naomi, I want you to inform Neelix that we will be feeding..." she looked inquiringly at Qi.

"Thirteen."

"Thirteen more people." She waited for their affirmative answers before leading him to the lift.

xxxx

Chakotay was just coming off his shift when Seven approached him. "Seven, did you hear about our visitors?"

She nodded. "Their navigator came to Astrometrics to give me data on this region of space."

"I find them quite fascinating. They have yet to explain how they were able to fool every sensor we have, but I'm hoping we can get that for ourselves. It would be useful to be able to hide that completely if we were boarded, especially now that we have several children aboard."

"That is what I wish to speak of."

"Children? Has Tom's Owen broken out again?"

"No. I wish to talk about our own children."

"Seven? What brought this up? I didn't think you wanted children just yet."

"It is more that I have been uncertain I would make a suitable parent. But I have decided to start researching the process."

Chakotay studied her face carefully. "What are you saying? You want a child?"

"I am saying we are having a child. That is why I have been experiencing pain in my implants. The Doctor says it may take some time to determine how to stop the pain, but -"

Chakotay hugged her tightly. "We're having a baby!"

xxxxx

Janeway walked into Sick Bay to check on their guests.

"Captain," the Doctor said. "I need to discuss something I found with you."

Janeway followed the Doctor into his office. "What is it Doctor?" she asked.

"They seem to be perfectly healthy but there is genetic coding that I cannot recognize. I checked all of my databases and ran numerous simulations and I can't discover what it does." The Doctor explained.

"Well, Doctor, there will always be mysteries in the universe. So long as they continue to be our allies I am content to leave it at that." Janeway stated firmly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We have a good chunk of the next chapter written and when ever I get off my lazy butt I'll update my other stories.


	5. The Kieru part 2 aka Asking

Sorry that this took so long. * face palm * This was done awhile ago but we thought that there was going to be more but we decided that this was a good next chapter and everything. The next chapter should be up soonish.

xxxxxx

Qi watched the bridge crew with approval as they oohed and aahed over the exquisite purple gem that was his home planet. That was as it should be. Uchi Kieru was to most magnificently beautiful planet in the universe.

A soft beep came from Harry Kim's station. "Captain, we are being hailed."

"Put it on screen, Ensign."

Qi found their abrupt manner of speaking fascinating. It certainly saved time, but some of his people found it impolite. That was, at least in part, why he stood on the bridge now. He had had several weeks to observe their customs before communicating with them. He did not want any misunderstandings between the humans and the Kieru.

The viewscreen displayed a young man in the green of a communications specialist. "I bid you greetings in the name of the Kieru people. I must request your identity and your intentions in our space."

Qi stepped forward and bowed politely. "I am Qi Miko. I will speak on behalf of Captain Kathryn Janeway and her ship Voyager."

The young man bowed. "Uesama Qi Miko, the stars shine upon this meeting. We feared the worst. I am Koutsuu Arata Ito."

"Honor upon Ito, Koutsuu Arata Ito. It would please me to speak to Maou Hideki Miko."

"It would give me great pleasure to request his attention, Uesama. It will be done directly." The screen went blank for a moment and when it came back up, Qi was pleased to see his father standing before him. Qi immediately dropped to one knee and bowed. "Uesama Maou Hideki Miko, greetings and good fortune."

His father smiled. "Greetings and good fortune to you. It seems Uchi Kieru has brought you safely home again, my son."

Qi was aware of Kathryn Janeway's surprise and was amused by it. He had not mentioned that he was a man of no little importance among his people. Humans were very open with their feelings, allowing them to show on their faces at all times. He found Kathryn Janeway's face the most expressive of all, despite her attempts at disguising her emotions from time to time.

Qi turned his attention back to the formalities. "Honored father, it is my pleasure to introduce Kathryn Janeway, Captain of this ship called Voyager." He introduced all of the bridge crew as well by rank. "Without these kind folk we would all have been slain by the Hirogans who hunted us. They have sheltered us and cared for us with kindness despite the rude nature of our introduction. I beg of you to treat them with the honor and esteem they are due and forgive them their odd customs of speech. I assure you they mean no disrespect."

His father bowed slightly to Qi. "It does you credit to be aware of possible difficulties." Hideki Miko turned his attention to the captain. He bowed deeply to her "Captain Kathryn Janeway, I must extend my deepest gratitude as Maou of this people to you and your crew for sheltering my people in their time of need and as a father for the safe return of my youngest son, for though I have a dozen sons, each child is precious in the sight of his father."

Kathryn Janeway made a soft choking sound before answering. Qi made a mental note to discover what had caused such a reaction. "The pleasure is all mine, Maou Hideki Miko. A wise woman once said, 'In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.'"

Qi nodded at her in approval. These were not the traditional phrases of her people, but they held a formality that conveyed respect for his people and their customs. His father invited them to dock at the space station. Jiyuu dwarfed Voyager as she docked, but none of the crew seemed intimidated by its size. They were clearly used to larger stations where they came from.

They were clearly less comfortable with his people and their customs. Qi was not disappointed. Kathryn Janeway and her crew would rely on him to help them with the negotiations and so he would not have to find other excuses to stay near the fascinating humans.

Xxxx

Janeway collapsed onto her couch with a groan. These negotiations were taking forever. The Kieru could not just say anything straight out. Every session started with five minutes or more of polite greetings between all of the people involved and then each offer and counteroffer had to be couched in polite phrases. Frankly, without Qi, she would have given up days ago.

There was a polite rap on her door. "Come," she answered, rearranging herself into a more dignified posture. Only one person ever knocked. "Qi," she greeted.

He bowed. She had tried to insist that it was unnecessary to bow to her, especially on her ship, but he would not hear of it. At least he no longer addressed her by her full name. "Kathryn, I would like to speak frankly with you."

"That would be refreshing," she commented.

Qi gestured to a chair. "May I?"

"Please."

He paused uncomfortably. "It is clear to me that our means of communicating is a stress to you. It is unfortunate that our customs differ so. The proceedings lasting so long is a great honor to you. We have very few allies and of those few even less have ever seen our home. We have never had occasion to determine a suitable reward for what you have done for us." He shook his head. "I fear that it will be another day at least before we come to any solid agreement."

Janeway sighed. "It would be easier to bear if I even understood what was being offered. Our universal translators are good at translating, but they translate literally."

He smiled, his eyes lighting with understanding. "Your translators translate literally, but we do not name things for what they do like your people. Perhaps tomorrow I could arrange a demonstration."

Janeway smiled back, feeling deeply relieved. She thanked Qi fervently. The formality would still be stressful, but at least she would know what they were offering. "Is that all you came about?" she asked.

Qi shook his head. "I had hoped you would assist me with something. Many of my crew had occasion to try out your holodeck and their reports were quite intriguing. My people use holo technology, but all of our research has been dedicated to defense and combat purposes. I had hoped you might show me."

Janeway shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm not the one to ask about how it works. Tom or B'Elanna would be the best choice."

"I care little for the technical aspects," he countered. "I am no engineer or programmer. I would simply like to see what it can do. Perhaps you can show me your home, your Earth."

Janeway smiled. "In that case, I would be pleased to give you the grand tour." He waited politely for her to exit. She liked that about him. It was like living in one of her holonovels if she ignored the red skin and tail. She would never admit it to anyone, but she liked being bowed to as well.

The holodeck was empty. She had deliberately picked the smaller of the two for that reason. She could pull rank and change the program, but she didn't like to do that and she wanted to show Qi the full range of capabilities and the variety of programs available.

By the time they got done, it was quite late and they had tried out dozens of settings. Qi had been quite impressed and seemed particularly interested in King Arthur's Court. He escorted her back to her quarters. At her door, he bowed and kissed her hand. "I quite enjoyed that. Perhaps you would be willing to go again tomorrow?"

Janeway smiled, but shook her head. "Even if I had the time to indulge, it would be unfair to take someone's time."

"Until tomorrow then, Kathryn." He bowed again and left. Janeway got ready for bed. It would be a long day tomorrow after losing sleep, but she found herself far more cheerful than she had been. Qi had provided just the break she needed from all of the stresses. And then there was the offer to demonstrate their technology. She settled back in her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

xxxx

Captain Janeway paced her ready room, but for the first time in weeks, it was from excitement rather than frustration. Chakotay was relieved. He had enough to worry about with the strange effects pregnancy was having on Seven without dealing with Janeway's irritability.

"I take it the meeting went well today?" he inquired.

"Better than that. Did Seven tell you what we saw this morning? We might be able to hide from the Borg and any other enemies. What the Kieru have is far beyond our cloaking technology in the Alpha Quadrant. They also have ways of enlarging ships so that they break off into smaller pieces when attacked. Those pods we found were actual functioning pieces of the ship until it came under attack."

"That sounds promising. How much do they intend to share with us?"

"Whatever we want." Janeway was actually grinning. "Qi convinced them that between the rescue and our willingness to share technology of our own, we should be able to have whatever we want done."

Chakotay smiled back. "That would explain why I nearly had to drag my wife out of a meeting in Engineering to keep her appointment with the Doctor. B'Elanna nearly bit my head off, but Tom held her back."

"Tell them they have all the time they need to figure this out. I would like consistent reports on their plans and final say on whatever they come up with, but they are the ones who will have to work with the changes. Oh, and ask Tom if he would be willing to give some of the Kieru lessons on holo design. They were quite fascinated with Qi's report on the holodeck."

"I didn't realize any of our guests had been on the holodeck."

"I took Qi yesterday evening. I think we visited well over half of the programs in the system."

"I am glad we had something to offer." Chakotay glanced at the door. "If you will excuse me, Captain, I am supposed to meet Seven for dinner and I don't want to be late."

"Go," she urged.

Chakotay rose and hurried out. Seven hated her schedule to be thrown off. So he tried to avoid being the cause of it if he could help it. He was paying little attention to anything but his goal, so he was quite surprised when Qi popped seemingly out of nowhere.

"Where did you come from?" Chakotay asked.

Qi bowed. "I was waiting to speak to you."

"Could it wait? I'm late."

"I would prefer not to."

"Then would you be willing to talk while we walk?"

"Of course. It would be rude of me to detain you when you are clearly in a hurry." Qi cleared his throat nervously. "I realize that the customs of our peoples differ, so I am uncertain of the appropriate protocols, but by the standards of my people you are the only person in a position to grant my request."

"Is there a point to this?" Chakotay asked, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt.

"I apologize. I am trying to learn this custom of speaking directly, but it is difficult. I will endeavor to -" Qi took a deep breath. "Again apologies. What I wish to ask is this: have I your permission to court Kathryn Janeway?"

Chakotay missed a step and nearly stumbled into a bulkhead. "Excuse me?"

"Do I have your permission-"

"I heard you the first time." Chakotay told him. Should he have seen this coming? Qi had certainly been spending a great deal of time with the captain, but there had been a lot of business to take care of. "I don't feel entirely comfortable giving you permission. That is a matter between you and the Captain."

"Please! I do not know what else to do. Her father is dead and the rest of her family is too far away to ask. Kieru custom dictates that I must ask the permission of a family member or, barring that, one who is close to her in another way. It is not unheard of for an orphan of our people to consider their commanding officer to be the nearest kin. But Kathryn has no superior officer, either."

Chakotay studied Qi's face for a moment. "Alright. I will give you conditional permission. If Janeway is open to your um courting, you have my permission to do so." Qi bowed quickly and offered flowery thanks before hurrying off. Chakotay shook his head and continued through the door to his waiting wife. This would certainly be interesting. He just hoped it wouldn't end with a broken heart.

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How many of you saw that coming? 


	6. Cantina Brawl

This chapter takes place in the present aboard Deep Space 12. We also learn something interesting about the Kieru.

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Luke Miko sat with his four brother and five sisters in the cantina of Deep Space Twelve. Owen Paris, Autumn Harrow, T'Lali and Rowen Kim sat with them.

"Can you believe how many kids she had?" a voice whispered somewhere behind him.

"She never sounded like the mothering type," another voice stated doubtfully. "Are we sure she was really the mother?"

"Genetic testing says yes, but that many? What was she thinking? You could practically colonize a planet with that lot."

Luke locked eyes with one of his womb brothers, Jasen. The message was clear: I know that you want to teach them a lesson about talking trash about our mother, but don't.

Jasen glared at him, but held his peace.

Luke sighed, partly in relief - the last thing they needed was the ill will of the Federation that picking a fight could cause - and partly in discomfort at the rowdy atmosphere. He hunched his shoulders as the sounds around them intensified. The air was thick with tension. Poor Rowen Kim was looking pale.

Most all of his companions winced at the sound of a bottle being smashed followed by the sound of fists connecting with flesh. The volume of the crowd had risen and taken on a decidedly dark tone. Luke exchanged disapproving looks with his table-mates at the lack of discipline on the station. None of them quite dared to leave, not wanting to abandon their oasis of calm and pass through the sea of violence blocking the exits.

Suddenly a chair smacked into Shannon's head. Luke, Jasen and Eli flew from their chairs. No one hurt their womb sister. No one.

He was vaguely aware of Raven, Jade, Suki, Tara, Micah, and Ayden joining in. While Owen, Autumn, T'Lali, and Rowen made sure Shannon had taken no serious injury. He noted at some point that they had joined the fight as well, but he was too intent on the battle before him to have noticed when they joined in. His people were slow to fight, but when they did, they fought to win.

xxxxx

Admiral Paris was on his way to the cantina to ask Captain Miko about the ship specifications he had been studying when the sound of a fight came from inside.

Frowning, he entered to see a fight going on. He was preparing to shout for order when he saw a perplexing sight: a lieutenant pinned to the deck by what appeared to be nothing at all. Still, it did not deter him for long. He may not have seen this particular phenomenon before, but any Starfleet admiral had dealt with at least a few bizarre occurrences in his career. "What is going on here?" he demanded.

The fighting stopped so abruptly that he might have thrown icy water on the group. Admiral Paris smiled grimly. One never forgot that voice once he had learned it. Captain Miko appeared over the lieutenant, his foot pressed firmly into the man's back. He looked somewhat embarrassed, but did not release his grip immediately.

Around the room, the Captain's siblings were suddenly there. As Captain Miko released his captive, the members of his crew took his lead, stepping away from their adversaries and forming up behind their leader. The non-Kieru in the party looked somewhat the worse for wear, with bloodied noses and lips and a few eyes beginning to blacken, but it was clear that the crew of Deep Space 12 had fared worse.

Admiral Paris kept his expression neutral as he addressed Captain Miko. "Would you and your crew members please wait for me in my office?"

"Of course, Admiral Paris." Captain Miko bowed formally and gestured. His people fell in behind him in an orderly manner. As soon as the door shut behind them, Admiral Paris gave the assembled officers the tongue-lashing they deserved, then demanded an explanation. As expected, the majority did their best to minimize their involvement in the incident. Still, they had little loyalty toward each other, so it was quickly clear who the responsible parties were.

Admiral Paris dismissed the majority of the crewmen and officers, making mental notes to reward the honest ones. At last he was down to the core group that had started this whole fiasco. He had a security team take them to the brig. He would let them reflect on their choices overnight.

Only then did he allow himself to indulge his curiosity. Since the Voyager crew did not currently hold Starfleet rank and had not started the fight - though they had most decisively ended it - there was little he would need to do in the way of disciplinary action. A strong lecture should be sufficient.

He stepped into his office to find the crew standing to attention. "Admiral Paris, sir. As captain of this crew, I speak for all of us. Although we did not begin the violence, we are responsible for our part in it, no matter the provocation. For that we apologize for the trouble this may have caused you, our hosts, and for the injury done to the crew of this station. If possible, we wish to make amends in whatever manner you or the captain of this station deem fitting." Captain Miko said.

Admiral Paris kept his face neutral with an effort, wanting more than anything to grin. This was what the crew of this station lacked. He wished the crew had seen this. "Apology accepted. As I am not your commanding officer, I can do nothing more than express my disappointment in your lapse of discipline, however, if you truly wish to make amends, I believe the cantina staff would appreciate your help in cleaning up the mess."

Captain Miko nodded solemnly.

"I should also note that if problems continue to persist between crews, we may have to cancel your shore leave privileges until the matter is resolved." He sighed. He would have to remember to inform the captain of the station that all alcoholic beverages had been removed from the cantina menu. He did not look forward to the conversation.

He stumped over to his chair and sat. "Now that we have dealt with that matter, perhaps you would like to explain how you disappeared and reappeared. Is this some sort of Delta Quadrant technology like the impressive shields on your ships?"

Captain Miko blinked and shifted nervously.

His siblings were talking softly to him. "_We don't have permission to share that!" "He already __seen us." "And mom said we could trust the Federation. If we lie . . .' "Mom is going to kill us when she finds out." "Mom is going to kill us? Dad is going to kill us! Kieru do not get into fistfights with their hosts." _

Finally Captain Miko whispered something too softly for Admiral Paris to understand, but it silenced his siblings. Then he looked right at Admiral Paris.

"My siblings and I have no need of shields or cloaking devices." Captain Miko explained. "It is a natural ability of the Kieru people. We can disappear at will or when we and frightened or startled."

"It has come in handy," one of Captain Miko's sisters agreed. As she continued, her face took on a wicked smile. "Though our mother often found it trying, especially at bedtime."

xxxxx

Please review!


	7. The Kieru part 3 aka Hirogen Fight

We are so sorry that this took so long!

Bryg has been busy and I have been waiting on her stamp of approval before posting this.

Okay enough babbling on to the next chapter!

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The experimental shuttle pulled out of it's port and headed for deep space. Chakotay smiled at Qi as they moved further from the Kieru home world. "This should be interesting, Qi." Chakotay commented to the Kieru.

Qi nodded, excitement shone in his eyes. "The Stars shine on us." Qi agreed brightly.

Chakotay smiled. The only thing that could curb his enthusiasm were those rebel Hirogen, and what were the odds of running into them?

xxxxxx

The supply run was uneventful. The world they stopped at held the largest trading post for several lightyears in all directions. Neelix was in his element. He was able to not only trade for a variety of items, he was also able to get advice on how to use them and make contacts among the new races they encountered there. In the end, Chakotay nearly had to drag Neelix away from the stalls when Qi told them it was time to leave.

Chakotay was eager to go. He had gotten the prickly feeling that someone was watching him several times that day. He kept telling himself he was overreacting, that it was nothing more than interest from people who had never seen humans before, but still, he was glad to return to the safety of the shuttle.

He settled back against his chair on the small bridge with a sigh of relief and helped Qi with the preparations for take-off. As soon as they were on their way, he unstrapped his phaser and tucked it in a little hidden compartment beside his chair. He thoroughly approved of this addition the Kieru had put in. One could never predict when an enemy would board unexpectedly.

He was sitting back, talking with Qi when a ship appeared out of nowhere. He didn't need Qi's alarmed shriek into the comm to realize that this was a Hirogen ship. Qi was already performing evasive maneuvers as he alerted the small crew.

Chakotay turned away from his own board in horror at a familiar shimmer. He shouted a warning as a Hirogen beamed onto the deck directly behind their chairs. He dove for his hidden phaser wishing he still had it strapped to his waist. He couldn't see Qi anywhere and wondered where he had disappeared to and how he had passed Chakotay without being noticed by him or the Hirogen.

He had no time to wonder further as the Hirogen stepped forward menacingly. "I've heard that Humans are interesting prey." He snorted. "So far I have found you easy prey. You were warned not to interfere, Human. Today you will die," the Hirogen hissed, then paused. "Though it would be more enjoyable to hunt you somewhere large enough to give you a sporting chance." The Hirogen struck Chakotay in the head.

Had he not dodged slightly, he would have been knocked unconscious by the blow. As it was, he felt his head spin woozily. He watched in a daze as a Kieru dagger appeared in the Hirogen's chest. He had seen most of the Kieru with those daggers and had assumed they were simply decorative. the Hirogen made a choking noise and flailed as though trying to dislodge someone from his back, though as far as Chakotay could see, there was nothing there.

The Hirogen's struggles grew more and more frantic, then the dagger disappeared and he heard Qi's voice snarl, "Hirogen Kanji Buhtah!" Chakotay watched in disbelief as the Hirogen's neck was slit by absolutely nothing and fell to the floor.

Chakotay looked up to see what looked like the outline of a dagger etched in blood hovering in the air. His eyes widened further as Qi's voice came from the empty air above the dagger. "Chakotay, we must hurry and check on the others." Qi appeared, holding the bloody dagger in one hand.

"How did you do that?" Chakotay managed to ask the Kieru.

"Explanations must wait for later; I fear we must act now if we are to stop the Hirogen from taking our ship and using it to destroy my people." Qi said as he extended a hand to help Chakotay to his feet.

Chakotay nodded, his head still spinning with questions as he accepted the help and followed Qi off the bridge. Qi disappeared again. Chakotay only knew he was still there because Qi would tell him which direction to turn by tapping his shoulder at the junctions. Whenever they ran across a Hirogen, Chakotay seemed to be the bait. The hunter would charge him only to be efficiently taken down from behind by an invisible assailant.

They further they went, the more grateful Chakotay was that the Kieru were on their side. He had no doubt that if the Kieru had decided that his people were hostile rather than potential allies, they would have wiped out a significant chunk of the crew. Chakotay found the few non-Kieru crew members holed up here and there, but not a single Kieru. Though, there were plenty of signs that the Kieru had been here; wounded or dead Hirogens were slumped up against bulkheads or sprawled on the floor.

The Hirogen that were still alive were quickly dispatched by Qi. "We must beam over to their ship and discover how they found us. Then we must destroy the ship!" Qi told Chakotay once he was sure there were no more Hirogen lurking on their own ship.

Chakotay agreed. If the Hirogen had a way of finding the Kieru ships while cloaked, they needed to know about it. It was the work of moments to beam aboard. Chakotay checked the ship's computers, while Qi took care of the two Hirogen left behind to guard the ship. As soon as he collected the information they needed, he helped plant charges. They were already moving out as  
>the Hirogen ship disappeared in a fiery explosion.<p>

They got back to Kieru homeworld without further incident, though the discussion was quite lively as the Kieru explained their abilities to the rest of the small crew. He hoped the Kieru realized that this would not be a secret among the Voyager crew for long, though he was sure they could keep it from going farther than the crew. Of course, it was his duty to inform Captain Janeway of what they had discovered. He had mixed feelings about that.

xxxxxx

Qi headed for Janeway's Ready Room as soon as he had reported the attack to his own people. He was very nervous. Not only would he be telling her the biggest secret of the Kieru people, he was going to confess that he had withheld information and he was unsure how she was going to react.

He met Chakotay on his way and cursed himself for not considering that Chakotay was honor-bound to report what he had learned. He ought to have asked Chakotay to let him tell her. Honor would not have been compromised if he had waited to impart the most significant details of the adventure until Qi had a chance to explain. He pressed the chime with shaking fingers and waited for her to tell him to enter.

"Come in." Her voice came, not sounding particularly upset. He assumed that was a good sign. Qi took a step forward and the door opened allowing him to enter the Captain's Ready Room. Janeway's face gave away little, her expression too guarded to hazard a guess at what she might be thinking and feeling just now. Still, he had come to know her enough to realize that the very fact that her face closed when she saw who had come to speak to her did not bode well for him.

He immediately dropped to his knees at her feet. "I had come to tell you of a rather delicate matter, but I fear I had not the foresight to beg leave of your commander to delay his own report. I beg your forgiveness, though I had good reason to keep the knowledge from you, I swear upon my honor."

"I understand," she replied neutrally. "No doubt you needed permission from your people."

He nodded, relieved that she grasped the difficulty of revealing a secret that touched upon the safety of all his people, yet...she was still upset. "That is so, yet I feel I should offer you apologies regardless. I should have asked for that permission sooner, for, did I not know that my trust was not misplaced?"

That seemed right. There was a slight lessening of tension in her shoulders. "Would you care to see a demonstration?" She smiled and agreed, but as he rose and prepared to blend with his surroundings, he remembered that humans used the closed-lip smile to be polite. It was the smile with the teeth that meant a human was happy. He reappeared to her sight at the back of the room and called her attention. She was gratifyingly impressed, but still not happy.

"That must be very useful for spying," she observed carefully.

Ah, was that the trouble? Did she think his people were spying on hers? Or - How foolish of him. She did not yet know all of his customs. He covered the distance between them in three long strides and bowed his head to the proper degree to express apology. "I swear to you, Kathryn, upon the Stars and the honor of my ancestors that neither I, nor any of my people would ever have done anything so dishonorable as to spy upon you aboard Voyager; one does not spy upon another in her own house, most especially when that other has offered no slight or violence to our people. To do so would bring dishonor upon any and all who were involved."

Now her face softened and he breathed a soft sigh of relief. It was said that no male could ever understand the female mind, and it seemed a human woman was more difficult yet to anticipate. Still, he considered that it was worth it if he could win such a woman to be his.

And perhaps this was the correct moment to bring that up as well. She might not know their customs, but he knelt before her anyway, holding his hands out before him with the palms up. "Kathryn Janeway, I admire you very much. I have met no one, man or woman, of any race, I have found more worthy of respect. If you so desire, I would greatly wish to court you." He maintained the formal tone with difficulty. What would he do if she refused? What if his request offended her?

She watched him for a few endless moments before a smile broke across her face like a sunrise. "I think I would like that very much," she murmured, placing her hands in his. Qi could not contain his own smile, though the customs dictated he maintain a serious expression to maintain the dignity of the ceremony. Perhaps it would not matter. There were no customs dealing with the courting of those who were not Kieru. Perhaps it was time to create new customs.

xxxxxxx

Don't expect the next chapter of 'Heirs of Voyager to be up until sometime in December. Bryg is doing NaNoWriMo this month and will only be writing when she has writer's block and that might be to edit whatever chapter of 'Dark Angel' I have been writing.

However we do have plots for the next few chapters thought out. The next one is going to be 'The Courtship of Captain Janeway'. What? That sounds familiar? I can't imagine where we came up with it.


	8. The Courtship of Kathryn Janeway

Still on hiatus but I reposting this to fix the formatting error.

xxxxxx

Kathryn followed Qi through the streets of the capital. It was a busy place and several Kieru stopped to stare at her for a second or two before moving on. She felt a great deal of anxiety at this upcoming meeting.

"Don't worry; they will love you!" Qi said gently as he lead her down a street then into a house.

"Aimi, Chou, Usagi, Rio, Yua! I brought her!" Qi called.

A lovely Kieru woman stepped out of a nearby room. "Qi, where are your manners, shouting like that? It is unseemly and I can only think all this time among aliens has unseated your reason."

Qi looked abashed. "I apologize, womb-sister."

The woman's stern look softened into a welcoming smile as she looked at Kathryn. "I am Aimi. Be welcome in our home." She turned back to Qi. "Go and respectfully invite the rest of our family to join us. I will escort Kathryn Janeway to the visiting room."

Qi cast the two of them an anxious look before going to do as his sister bid. Aimi watched him leave with a fond look. "He was ever the one for correct manners. I despaired that he would ever meet anyone able to shake them. I am grateful he has found you."

Janeway smiled. "Then that comment was not meant to be insulting."

"Not to you. It has ever been the duty of sisters to keep their brothers from gaining an overly large opinion of their own self-importance."

Janeway laughed, finding this sister, at least, to be just the sort of woman she would enjoy having as a friend. Her hopes for the day rose. A family with a sense of humor would be more forgiving of any social faux pas she might make and she would not have to worry that the conversation would be as tedious as those many sessions with the Council.

As the rest of the family filed in, however, she felt her trepidation rise again. He had mentioned that he had a large family, but she had never expected anything like this. She had thought the visiting room quite spacious when she first arrived, but every corner was packed with people and the center of the room was littered with young children. Everyone was introduced in groups of womb-siblings. She desperately hoped that she was not expected to remember everyone.

After a meal seated around several long banquet tables, the majority of the guests departed with polite well-wishing. It seemed that this building only housed Qi and his womb-siblings and their families and so they were the only ones to remain after. She let out a soft relived sigh when the last of the guests left. Qi turned to her in some concern. "Was that too much? I did not mean to overwhelm you with so many all at once. I had only intended to introduce you to my womb-siblings today, but family has a way of finding such things out and it would have been impolite to turn them away."

Kathryn shook her head. "It was a surprise, certainly. Just tell me that I am not required to remember all of their names."

Qi laughed. "If necessary, I will remind you."

"You have no idea how much of a relief that is," Janeway said with feeling. "Now tell me the difference between siblings and womb-siblings."

"It is as it sounds," Chou, told her tranquilly. "Womb siblings shared the same womb at the same time. It creates a much closer bond to be born and raised together."

Janeway did a quick head count and felt as though she had been kicked in the gut. "Your mother gave birth to seven of you at once?"

"This surprises you? How many children does a woman of your species give birth to?" Chou asked. "If it is not impolite to ask," she added quickly.

"Human women rarely give birth to more than one child at a time." Janeway explained. "I have only one sibling, a sister named Phoebe."

Qi's sisters came as close to gawking as Kieru ever did at the thought of only one sibling and that not even a womb sibling. Janeway hoped that she wasn't expected to produce as many children. She had no intention of giving birth to seven children at once even if the human body had been designed to carry so many at a time. The subject was expertly steered to other topics and they talked for quite a while longer. When Qi finally offered to escort her home, she realized the sun was already beginning to set.

They walked through the late afternoon light. Qi tentatively reached out to grasp her hand. "There is a place I know on the way. It is a pleasant place to watch the sun set, if you would enjoy watching it with me."

She agreed with a smile. The sunset truly was glorious, all purple against the red of the hills beyond the city. And he was a pleasant companion, speaking softly of the adventures he had had in those hills as a child and times he had watched the sun set from this very spot over the years. She leaned her head on his shoulder as she listened, utterly enthralled by his tales. It seemed neither of them had any desire to break the spell of the moment. They stayed until long after the sun set and the stars came out. Janeway told him about watching the stars as a child and wanting to explore them and discover new places and new people.

Finally, they both knew it was time to leave. Qi helped her to her feet and took her arm like a proper old-time English gentleman to escort her back to Voyager. He even bowed to kiss her hand as he left her at her door. Janeway went to bed smiling. She was pretty certain she was falling in love.

She felt a twinge of guilt as she thought of Mark, but by now the crew of Voyager was probably assumed to be dead. He was too practical of a man to hold on to a dead woman and she had no desire for him to do so. When they finally returned home, he would be an old man. He deserved happiness. And didn't she deserve it, too?

xxxxxxx

Qi carefully schooled his features to avoid showing the anxiety he felt. Walking next to Kathryn was wonderful, but he was uncertain whether she would enjoy this particular custom. It was very common among his people to bring a meal to a quiet location and talk for long hours while courting as a means to learn more about their future spouses.

Now he wished he had done enough research to discover if this was a custom they had in common. Kathryn took his hand as they walked and he found that reassuring. Surely if she was not enjoying herself she would not be in such close contact and he had learned enough to be almost completely certain that hand-holding was courting behavior among humans.

He took the fork in the path that would take him to his favorite meadow. The path itself was beautiful with its ancient trees covered with blossoms that gave off an intoxicating odor, but the meadow would be lovelier still. He took surreptitious glances at Kathryn as they walked, pleased to see that she seemed to be enjoying herself.

She walked uncomplaining for two hours, listening to stories he told of his adventures and answering them with tales of her own. She had seen and done a great deal more than he, yet she seemed just as fascinated by his tales as he was by hers. Perhaps, like his people, she was using the tales to learn what sort of person he was. He fervently hoped he measured up.

When he brought her into the meadow, she looked around it in wonder. "I never thought I would find so much red so stunningly beautiful," she breathed. "Red in our cultures is used sparingly because it is a color associated with war, anger, and evil, but this is amazing."

"Is red such a terrible color to you?" he asked anxiously, glancing at his own red skin.

"Not terrible," she objected, placing her hand on his arm. "I may have given you the wrong impression. Red is also a color associated with love. I suppose it has more to do with strong emotion than anything. It is common to express love for someone by offering them red flowers called roses. You saw one on the holodeck when we visited that Parisian restaurant. The meaning of color, like so many things, is a matter of context."

"And does this context please you?"

"Very much," she responded, though the way she looked at him conveyed another level of meaning he was uncertain he was interpreting correctly. He picked her several flowers to give himself time to think. She tucked them in her hair. Was there some special significance to that? He was still worrying over the matter when they arrived at the little meal he had set up for them earlier.

A smile formed on her face. "A picnic! I haven't been on a picnic in years!" He breathed a silent sigh of relief. So it was a custom among her people. He allowed himself to relax and enjoy the afternoon, though he made a mental note to do further research on human courtship customs before planning any other activities.

xxxxxxx

Janeway walked next to Qi. The past few days were a whirlwind of pleasant events. It seemed that Qi wanted to show her all of the things he loved best about his world before Voyager left, but he had also taken care to connect them to human customs.

He had taken her dancing, both in the Kieru style and to a holodeck program he had had some of her crew help him put together. He had been less than skillful when it came to the human dances, but he was a quick learner. If it came to that, he had been quicker at learning hers than she had been at learning his.

Voyager would leave tomorrow. The thought loomed in her mind. She loved Qi. If the truth were known, she thought she loved him more than she ever had Mark, but she was conflicted. It was her duty to stay with Voyager to the end of the journey. She couldn't abandon them.

But Qi also held a position of importance. He was unlikely to give it up and leave everything he knew and loved to travel with her on a journey that would end so far from his home that he would never be able to see it or his family again.

She was pulled from her depressed thoughts as they entered Qi's house. It was all decorated like an 18th century manor and when she looked down, her clothing had become a dress of the same period of Earth's history. It didn't feel real, so she assumed it was holo-technology doing the work.

She turned to Qi and found him kneeling before her, reaching for her hand. "Kathryn Janeway, I would be pleased if you would accept my offer of marriage."

"But-"

"I beg you let me finish. I know you cannot leave your people, but I can leave mine. I have already spoken to my father and he has given his blessing, as have all of my womb-siblings."

"Won't you miss them?"

"Undoubtedly, but I would regret it far more if I let you leave and did not follow. I will travel with you and we will make our own family. If you will have me, of course." He seemed uncertain now.

Janeway squeezed his hand. "Of course I will have you. Nothing would give me greater pleasure." She blinked away tears as he pulled out a beautifully crafted ring and placed it on her finger.

"It is good that you agreed," he told her after kissing her.

"And why is that?"

"Aside from the fact that I would have to suffer a broken heart, my womb-siblings have been planning the ceremony all week and they would never forgive me if they did not have the chance to put them in action. Chou has been spending every spare moment researching human marriage customs and combining them with Kieru customs. If you can spare another day, we can be married tomorrow."

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Tom Paris sat down beside his wife, setting a drink in front of her as he did so. "The Kieru know how to throw a party."

"Are you sure it's not a little tame for your tastes, Tom?" B'Elanna asked.

"Don't be silly. I'm a married man now. Harry's the one who wants excitement."

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Harry objected and everyone at the table laughed.

"Oh, come on, Harry. We all saw that engineer you were chatting with earlier. Do you mean to tell us that you don't plan to spend the extra shore leave with her?" B'Elanna teased.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Seven asked as she and Chakotay approached.

"No. Please sit down," Harry invited, clearly relieved at this timely distraction.

Chakotay pulled out a chair for his very pregnant wife and made sure she was settled comfortably. "The Captain looks very happy," he observed as he took his seat.

"It will be good for her," Seven observed. "She works too hard and as Captain she is lonely. In addition, protocol makes it impossible to form a relationship among her own crew. The journey back to the Alpha Quadrant would be a very long journey without any companionship." She cast Chakotay a warm smile.

xxxxxxx

Janeway sighed with relief as Voyager pulled away from Uchi Kieru. The honeymoon on Uchi Kieru's largest moon had been wonderful and she like Qi's family, but she was happy to be back on Voyager. As soon as his home was out of sight, Qi kissed her cheek and murmured that he was going to unpack and that she was not to stay up too late.

Janeway promised not to get sidetracked by anything anyone else could deal with. She settled into her seat. It felt like an old friend. Later there would be problems. Someone would have a problem with Qi or one of the other four Kieru who had come as his honor guard. Or someone would offend one of them Or they would be attacked by Borg or Hirogens or some as-yet undiscovered alien race. But for now life was perfect and she took comfort in the routine of her duties.

Her shift ended and she turned the Bridge over to Chakotay. After an evening with Qi, she fell asleep. She slept deeply through most of the night, but near morning she had a dream. It was bizarre, but at the same time seemed so real that when she first woke it took several minutes to determine that it was, in fact, a dream.

Qi had already left for the morning. He had told her the night before that he planned to get up at 0800 and make sure his people were settled and prepared to assimilate into the crew. She had set her meeting for 1000 hours, in part so that Qi could participate and in part because the Doctor had pointedly informed her that several of her senior officers were currently suffering from lack of sleep due to being parents or parents-to-be. A more permanent solution would have to be found, but for today she was content to push back the meeting time.

Now she was glad she had. It gave her time to stop in and see the Doctor. He had suggested that she start having weekly visits now that she was married since any child she and Qi conceived would be the first Kieru/Human cross and as such no one could do more guess at possible complications. She had planned on making an appointment for later that day, but after that dream, she wanted to be sure...

When she arrived, the Doctor was just finishing his examination of the two newest members of the Harrow family. "I am pleased to say that Autumn and Donovan are quite healthy. I still want to monitor their progress with weekly visits, but unless you notice anything unusual, I would say you have nothing to worry about."

The Harrows thanked him and carried their children out.

"Ah, Captain! I didn't expect to see you this morning. I am pleased to see that you are taking my suggestion seriously." The Doctor ushered her over to the biobed. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Not too badly, but I had an unsettling dream just before I woke," she sighed.

"Perhaps you would like to tell me about it?" the Doctor suggested. "I have been studying dream interpretation in my spare time."

Janeway hesitated for a moment, but then decided that it didn't matter. It was probably just a bad dream brought on by a variety of mental stresses. "Q was congratulating me on my impending motherhood, but as the dream progressed more and more children appeared until the room was full of children. And all of them were mine. I woke up in a cold sweat, it seemed so real at the time."

The Doctor smiled. "It sounds like a normal response to the stress of a new wife who is also a captain. There is the very real concern that any potential mother would feel, knowing that there might be complications to any pregnancy. Add to that the Kieru tendency to have multiple births. Or alternately it could be concern over your crew manifesting as worry over children, since your duty as captain of Voyager is to protect them and return them safely home," the Doctor pontificated as the computer ran the scans.

The computer beeped. "And here we are. Let's see what it says." The Doctor brought up the scans on the screen. "Congratulations, Captain! You're pregnant."

"What?" Janeway yelped, picturing the horde of children from her dream. She barely heard what he said next.

"It is nothing to be concerned about, Captain. It is quite a normal occurrence. With proper medical care you and the baby should be fine. I downloaded everything the Kieru would give me about their medical research and the process is very similar between your two races. I'm afraid it's too early to tell the gender or how long to expect the pregnancy to last but I should have more information next month."

Janeway tried not to show her horror. Despite the dream, she had not expected to have to deal with this quite yet.

"Is something wrong, Captain? I thought you would be happier."

"Oh, no," she lied. "I just have to get to my Ready Room for a briefing." She hurried out before the Doctor could offer her any more helpful advice.

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End file.
